Janeen Joan Marrin

1944 - 2020

September 23, 1944 - August 1, 2020 Trailblazing Arts & Crafts collector and historian Janeen Marrin died following a brief illness, just seven weeks shy of her 76th birthday. A Los Angeles County native, Janeen moved to Pasadena after falling in love with the iconic Greene and Greene-designed Gamble House during a chance visit there in 1967.For the next few decades, Janeen researched, sought out, and collected Greene and Greene and Stickley furniture and other Mission-style decorative arts along with her husband, James Marrin. The collection and expertise that they developed together were renowned. She was a fixture at the Rose Bowl swap meet and various Southland antique shows. Dealers and collectors alike sought her advice and opinion on the provenance and value of objects.A founding member of the highly influential historic preservation organization Pasadena Heritage, Janeen worked hard in the nonprofit's early days to raise awareness of and protect historic homes and buildings. In 1974, the Marrins were major lenders to the benchmark exhibit California Design 1910, which was organized in part by Pasadena-based architectural historian Dr. Robert Winter, who became a lifelong friend. Later, the Marrins gifted to LACMA the Greene and Greene leaded art glass ceiling fixture that was an exhibit highlight.In 1981, Janeen and James – along with other Pasadena collectors – were profiled by a New York Times architecture critic, who noted that the Marrins "created a museum-like environment out of Stickley and their [craftsman] bungalow." Later that decade, the Marrins designed the interiors for home tours of Greene and Greene's Blacker and Duncan-Irwin Houses in Pasadena, and conceived, sourced, and executed an immersive Arts & Crafts exhibit at the Huntington Library.A prodigiously talented artist from a young age, Janeen received a BA in graphic design at UCLA. She used her immense skills at figurative art, composition, and lettering as a calligrapher for the County of Los Angeles for more than 32 years.In addition to her artwork and antique collection, Janeen will be remembered for her laugh, her beautiful jewelry (Mexican silver was a favorite, along with her own creations), her talent for gift-giving, her keen intellect, discerning eye, loving nature, and dominance on Words With Friends. She is survived by her daughter Emily, grandchildren Lucy and Leo, son-in-law Steve Allison, and husband James, with whom she separated in 1990. She was predeceased by her beloved daughter Erika, who inherited Janeen's creative spirit, sharp mind, vocal liberalism, and distinctive laugh. Their family hopes they are together now, "junking" in the afterlife's equivalent of the Rose Bowl swap meet, and laughing together loudly. A memorial will be planned for Janeen when it is safe to do so. She will be buried at Altadena's Mountain View Cemetery on Monday, August 10. Janeen's family asks that those seeking to honor her memory commit to voting in November's election and supporting the arts.